Breed to suit different markets and climates
by Toni Nugent,
KONDININ GROUP
aternal strengths, heat resistance,
high-yielding carcasses and the ability
to meet a range of market specifications
are the major benefits cited by Brangus
cattle breeders.
Other Brangus advantages include low
birthweights but high growth rates and the
ability to thrive in most climates.
M
The first known crosses of Brahman and
Angus cattle occurred in Australia during the
1930s. The first attempt in Australia to breed
a registered cross was during 1951 by a
producer at Rockhampton, Queensland.
These cattle were registered with the
American Brangus Breeders Association
(ABBA) and are claimed to be the first
animals registered with the association not
bred in America.
At the same time some producers were
doing their own research, looking for a beef
breed that combined the Brahman’s heat
tolerance and mothering ability with the meat
quality, muscularity, early puberty and
maternal strengths of the Angus breed.
Description
The Brangus breed is polled and black or
red in colour. Adult registered Brangus with
the Australian Brangus Cattle Association
must have three-eighths to five-eighths
Brahman genetics.
This range allows
producers to breed cattle to suit particular
environments and markets. For example,
Brangus cattle in the north of Australia are
more likely to have a higher percentage of
Brahman genetics in order to tolerate the heat
and ticks, compared with Brangus cattle bred
in southern Australia.
Because the genetic proportions can change
(as long as they remain within three-eighths to
five-eighths Brahman genetics) Brangus cattle
can adapt to most conditions.
at a
GLANCE
Toni Nugent
History
Brangus cattle can tolerate most Australian conditions but they also have the advantage of producing
high-yielding carcasses, with low birthweights and high growth rates for calves.
The Brahman is resistant to heat, ticks and
disease. Brahman cattle will raise calves and
continue to milk even under low feed
conditions. With a large birth canal and small
birthweights, ease of calving is a strong
Brahman trait.
Angus cattle are recognised for their meat
quality characteristics. They tend to marble at
an earlier age than most cattle breeds and
reach desired grades at more acceptable
slaughter weights. Angus cows are highly
fertile and have good milking abilities.
Combining the maternal traits of the
Brahman and Angus breeds, the Brangus cow
weans heavier calves than either paternal
breed. The Brangus’ ability to grow and finish
over a range of slaughter weights, together
with their growth rate and marbling, results in
the production of carcasses to suit today’s
market specifications.
The progeny of this cross becomes enrolment
stock with the Australian Brangus Cattle
Association. The progeny of two enrolment
cattle are known as foundation Brangus.
Brangus cattle that have more than two
generations of recorded breeding and whose
Bos indicus genetics fall between two-eighths
and three-eighths or between five-eighths and
six-eighths are also known as foundation
animals (see Figure 1). These animals carry a
number of levels of generations on their
pedigree certificate.
These levels of
generation are not lost if their progeny fall
into the registered area.
Registered Brangus cattle must have a
Brahman blood percentage between threeeighths and five-eighths, and their physical
characteristics, colour, poll head and other
attributes must be as described in the ABCA’s
Standard of Excellence.
Breeding stud cattle
Market demands
Brahman and Angus cattle are used to
breed Brangus. These animals and their
progeny may be recorded with the Australian
Brangus Cattle Association Ltd (ABCA).
Many cattle producers are crossing their
commercial cows (for example, Herefords)
with successive generations of Brangus bulls.
Brangus bulls sire calves with high-growth
FIGURE 1 Breeding Brangus cattle
37%
63%
• Brangus are three-eighths to
five-eighths Brahman crossed with
Angus cattle.
75%
Registered
Brangus
High generations
25%
• Brangus cattle will thrive in most
climates.
• Calves have low birthweights but
high growth rates and high-quality
carcasses.
• Brangus cattle can be finished to
meet a range of market
specifications.
FARMING AHEAD No. 104 - August 2000
Registered generation level – zero
Foundation Brangus
100% Bos indicus
Enrolment stock
100% Angus
Source: Australian Brangus.
67
LIVESTOCK
Cattle
Brangus
TABLE 1 Suitability for domestic market by breed
British
Euro-cross
Brangus
Total
Total number of cattle
160
70
39
269
Number within specifications
94
11
25
130
Number outside specifications
Percentage suitable
66
59
14
139
58.75
15.71
64.10
48.33
Note: British = straight-bred British cattle and British crosses. Euro-cross = European and European
British crosses. Brangus = Brangus cattle.
Trial held by the Gippsland Field Days Committee, Victoria.
rates but generally not big calves. First cross
(F1) heifers sired by Brangus bulls have high
maternal values, fertility and milking abilities.
Producers often keep these F1 heifers as
replacements in their herd.
Brangus bulls are early maturing and are
ready for light work at about 20 months of age.
They are capable of being joined with 50 or
more females per season, they walk well and
can cover large areas.
Brangus and Brangus-cross steers are also
known for their high-quality carcasses. They
produce high-yielding carcasses with little
waste, good muscling, fine meat texture and
marbling. Brangus cattle can be finished to
meet a range of market specifications from the
Source: Australian Brangus Cattle Association.
local domestic market through to the Japanese
ox market.
Domestic market
For the past seven years Brangus steers have
dominated the domestic market section of the
grass fed steer trials run by the Gippsland
Field Days Committee in Victoria, which
emphasise market suitability.
In these trials, purebred steers and their
crosses are run as one herd on high-quality
pasture from July to November when they are
slaughtered. All cattle are slaughtered on the
same day.
Of the 269 cattle in the trial during 1996,
more than half failed to meet domestic market
specifications, while 64 per cent of Brangus
cattle in the trial were suitable for the
domestic market (see Table 1).
At the 1999 annual Brangus sale,
Rockhampton, Queensland, prices for bulls
averaged $3767, with a top price of $8500.
Prices for females averaged $1813, with a top
price of $3500.
During the 2000 Queensland Country
Life Prime Cattle Classic, a pen of twoand four-tooth Brangus steers, averaging
630 kilograms, took the highly-contested
Elanco grand champion pen title for the third
consecutive year. These steers, owned by
Salisbury Plains, later sold for 175 cents/kg at
the Prime Cattle Classic sale. The steers were
finished on coastal scrub country boosted with
verano-stylo, vetch, siratro and other legumes.
Breedplan
The Australian Brangus Cattle Association
has recently adopted Breedplan as its genetic
evaluation programme. The first analysis of
Brangus cattle will be held in August 2000.
Acknowledgements: Michael Hartmann,
Australian Brangus Cattle Association; John
Searle; and Roger Davis.
For more information contact Michael
Hartmann on phone (02) 6773 2472.
Brangus programme pays off for Victorian breeder
Case study
LIVESTOCK
Brangus...
D
uring the early 1970s, Brahman cattle
revolutionised the cattle industry in
northern Australia.
During this period, semen from at least
20 Angus bulls has been used, including
100 straws bought from TeMania.
With their resistance to ticks and pink-eye,
tolerance to heat, their ability to survive on
substandard fodder and ease of calving,
Brahman cattle had a number of commercial
benefits to offer the cattle industry.
The Angus cross Brangus (F1) progeny
from these crosses are then joined back to
Brangus bulls. This is mainly being done using
artificial insemination.
Victorian beef breeder Roger Davis believed
the commercial benefits of Brahman cattle
would also benefit cattle breeders in southern
Australia. Combining the traits of Brahman
and Angus cattle made good sense to Roger.
Breeding programme
Roger started breeding beef cattle on his
Leongatha South property during 1995, when
he bought some Angus cows and joined them
to a Brahman bull. It was a long and hard way
to breed Brangus cattle, but with no Brangus
cattle around at the time to buy, a breeding
programme was the only option.
For the first 20 years of his breeding
programme, Roger developed his herd from
sources where he could obtain ‘superior’
animals. Sources included other local Brangus
breeders, Brangus breeders in Queensland and
progeny from his breeding programme.
During the mid-1980s, Roger introduced
some of the first American Brangus bloodlines
into the country using artificial insemination.
Roger has changed the breeding
programme significantly during the past six
years and has included an extensive artificial
insemination programme, using semen from
the latest Angus breeders available.
68
Roger has significantly advanced his
breeding programme through the recent
purchase of semen shares in seven of what he
believes to be the best Brangus bulls in
Australia over the past five years. These bulls
were bought in partnership with the Burnhams
of Bimbadeen Brangus, Queensland, who are
foundation Brangus breeders.
The benefits from this breeding programme
are beginning to be seen. The progeny
have significantly higher growth rates,
deep, thick bodies with good conformation
and wide buttocks.
Roger is paying particular attention to feet,
sheath, testicle size and temperament.
Markets
Roger’s Brangus breeding herd consists of
about 210 breeders of which there are about
15 Angus females retained. Most of the
income derived from this enterprise comes
from selling fat cattle.
Where the season permits, steers are
fattened through to bullocks and are sold
through the local saleyards or direct to the
abattoirs. During February 2000, Roger sold
Angus cross Brangus bullocks and younger
steers directly to the abattoirs for 225 cents per
kilogram and 235c/kg respectively.
A typical Brangus-cross Angus steer at two to
two-and-a-half years at the target weight of
630-650kg.
Commercial Angus breeders
could benefit with the hybrid vigour from
the cross by introducing Brangus bulls into
their herd. Butchers will pay premiums for
Brangus carcasses.
The best of Brangus bull calves are grown
out with a number sold locally and some in the
past going into New South Wales.
If the price and quality are right, there are
plenty of buyers for Brangus bulls in Victoria.
Higher prices can be achieved farther north,
but a lot of costs and often inconveniences
are associated with getting the bulls to
that market.
Dairy appeal
Brangus bulls have also proved popular with
dairy farmers. The calves are generally smaller
which has great appeal to dairy farmers and
the Friesian cross Brangus cows make
good and practical vealer mothers.
FARMING AHEAD No. 104 - August 2000